I was an aunt at seven

My family tree is both complex, fucked up, and incredibly interesting. One thing that most people don’t know about me is that I have two older siblings. Well, two older half-siblings. My elder brother is thirteen years older than I am, and my sister eleven. They’re my biological dad’s kids. When he and my mom were dating, she basically became a stepmother to them. Their own mother had lost interest a long time before.

When I was born (shortly after my mom and biological dad broke up), my mom still kept in contact with the two kids; taking them out on adventures, bailing them out when they were in trouble… About when I was seven, she effectively disowned them both. My brother because he joined a gang and started getting really heavily into drugs. My sister because she got pregnant and dropped out of high school.

She kept the baby, but her boyfriend died before he was born in a motorcycle accident. She has raised Cameron by herself on a Walmart salary for the last thirteen years. A few years after he was born, she got cervical cancer. She beat it, quite handily, but was left sterile. Or so the doctors told her. Three years ago she had Trenton.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that it’s been three years since I’ve seen them last. Around my seventeenth birthday, she contacted me, and wanted to get together some time and just… catch up. It was really nice. I got to meet my second and third nephews. (My brother came as well, along with his wife and son.)

I was talking to John about how our siblings have effected our college money. John’s parents are paying for his room, board, tuition, books… everything. He was saying that it’s because both of his brothers went to high-end east coast schools; his parents, as a result, are more than happy to pay for everything for him– it’s tons cheaper! My parents are also paying for my entire college everything. But, I think, it’s more because they’re just insanely grateful that I’m actually getting a higher education.

There was so much pressure to never get pregnant…

Before my mom and biological dad broke up, my mom had a "little sister" through Big Brothers, Big Sisters. They were very, very close. I don’t think my mom had ever loved anyone like that before. When she (the little sister, at 17) got pregnant, she went back to her abusive mother for financial support. One of her mother’s requirements was that she not have any contact with my mom anymore. It nearly broke my mother’s heart. It also prompted my conception.

I didn’t find out that last detail until last week. I always thought that the "don’t get pregnant" mantra was from my sister. No, it makes much more sense with this information.

When I came out to my mother (Which was five years ago, tomorrow, by the way), and I said "there’s something I need to tell you," her first guess was "You’re pregnant?!" There was also the time that they were in Torrey and I’d spent the whole day with Bryan (mostly learning to drive a stick), and I told them all about it. Amanda also stayed over that night, and we slept in my parents’ bed. I forgot to make the bed. When my parents got back, my mom told me that she wanted me on birth control because "I know you and Bryan…" I think I died of embarrassment. The irony, of course, is that about a year later we actually did start dating, instead of everyone just suspecting that we were dating.

Both sets of our parents thought that we were dating a full year before we started… We were both supremely annoyed at the time (well, I was; I can’t actually imagine Bryan being annoyed by this sort of thing at all), but I guess our parents were right, after all. I still think this is hilarious.

As for what’s going on in my life right now… not much. I’m working my butt off on group projects, studying for finals, biochem homework… I’ve also found that cryptograms are a fantastic way to waste my time. A habit which I will need to break probably today. Maybe I’ll use firefox’s parental controls to lock myself out of the site until finals are over. I’ll have Bryan put the password in or something.

Housing is moving forward. I can’t believe that I’ll be moving into the house in… a week and a half? We get the keys in a week. I mean, shit. A house.

I am so excited.